Back Again
by shlyn-25
Summary: An escaped abnormal results in the burning down of an orphanage. What happens when Magnus has a connection to one of the children? Her daughter died, she knows this, but miracles happen. Read and Review please!
1. Chapter 1

A war was raging through her body. A blackened blood flowed through her veins. She could feel the infection spread, as each cell was contaminated. There was a roaring in her ears and her limbs began to thrash. Then silence.

"Magnus, we have to move now in order to save those people," Will barked over the roar of the flames. The building was about to collapse, and they had precious time. A fire elemental had escaped en route to the Sanctuary and while the abnormal had been contained its damage had not.

"I know! I'm going upstairs you evacuate everyone from below, Kate help him," Magnus finally replied, she dove headlong into the chaos and cautiously made her way up the compromised stairwell. Running from room to room, she realized most everyone had managed to atleast get downstairs before the flames became to severe. Her throat was sore from inhaling the smoke, and her eyes were watering, making her vision limited. There were two rooms left, quickly she discovered the first one was a closet which was empty. The second room also appeared empty but she scanned carefully just as she had done with all the others. That's when she heard it. A muffled cry was coming from a corner she searched desperately through squinted eyes trying to find the source.

Blonde hair was discernible through the thick haze of smoke. It belonged to a small frame, a child. As carefully but as swiftly as she could Magnus made her way to the corner. The little girl was five or six and she was barely breathing. The blonde head rested against her knees which were pulled tightly to her chest. Without much effort, Magnus swept the girl into her arms and made her way from the room, only barely making it down the stairs before they collapsed.

She could feel the girl's breathing become more and more labored against her chest. She turned to find the exit, but discovered it was blocked by fallen debris. Desperately searching for a way out she moved into an adjacent room and then another. There was a window in one of the rooms and she found that it was accesible, so with only a slight hesitation, she tucked the girl as tightly to her as possible and lunged through the window back first. She felt glass cut into her back and she felt the thump against her head as they hit the ground, the girl landing safely against her.

Magnus sat up and looked towards the house, she could tell most of the basic structure was about to fail and she knew she needed to move out of the way. Her back screamed in pain as she pulled herself and the little girl a safe distance from the impending crash.

Now that they were safe, Magnus layed the small figure on the ground, brushing blonde strands from the ashy face. Her heart began thumping in her chest as her eyes wandered over the delicate features. It was impossible.

On the ground before her, lie the seven year old body of her twenty three year old daughter who died months before. Magnus saw the same face everyday before she went to sleep. It haunted her dreams. Hastily she leaned down to make sure the girl, her daughter, was breathing. A deep sigh escaped her when she found a pulse and felt air from the girl's mouth.

Will and Kate came rushing over to where she was crouched immediately bombarding her with questions asking how she was and whether or not she was hurt. Magnus didn't respond, she gazed down at her daughter's face as the tears began spilling over. Finally she looked up at Will.

"Magnus, what's wrong? I think we need to get you back to the Sanctuary you look pretty beat up," Will moved to take Ashley from her arms and she immediately pulled the small body close.

"I've got her, go start the car," Magnus stood shakily, once again feeling a sharp pain course through her back. The flash of pain didn't go unnoticed by Will.

"Ok, what's going on? Give me the girl I'll carry her to the car, we'll go back to the Sanctuary and get you both checked out." Will was looking confused as he glanced between the blonde child and his boss.

"It's Ashley, Will just help me to the car," and with that Magnus slowly began walking back around the building with a shocked Will running to catch up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Ok sorry for the superly short chapter, I just needed a transition, but good news! The next chapter is already planned out and should be coming shortly! Thank you so much for the reviews, feel free to keep em coming!**

**Don't own any of the characters, blah, blah... **

* * *

><p>Back at the Sanctuary, Magnus was sitting on an exam table as the Big Guy carefully stitched up the minor lacerations on her back. She could feel the bruises begin to form across her shoulders from where she landed.<p>

The blonde girl she had saved was still unconscious in the observation lab where she was hooked up to an IV and an oxygen tank to assist her breathing. Her vital signs were strong and there was 100% chance of recovery which required a little time. Even knowing this information however, Magnus couldn't help but dread the next few hours. What if she didn't wake up? What something went horrible wrong?

Something else, however, was plaguing Magnus' thoughts. She had no way of knowing whether or not the girl would recognize her or even realize who she was. She didn't even know how she had ended up at the orphanage in the first place. What was troubling her the most was how this was possible. Who had miraculously revived her daughter? Was it a trick? But she pushed these thoughts from her mind unwilling to face what could be a horrible truth.

Her manservant begin replacing the tools on the table, signaling that he was done. Gingerly Magnus pulled her shirt over her back and carefully hopped off the table. She walked from the room and entered quietly into the observation lab where Henry sat in the corner keeping watch over the patient. "How is she?" Magnus whispered as she approached the girl gingerly taking hold of the small hand.

"Vitals are stable, no change in condition though, she should wake up any hour now." Henry stated in short medical terms. He left the room, leaving Magnus alone with what he hoped was her daughter.

Magnus no longer fought back the tears that had been threatening to fall for hours. She sat in the stool next to her bed and clung to the child's hand. "Ashley, I've missed you, I've missed you so much," she whispered realizing that the unconscious girl couldn't hear her. "You were my life, you still are, I think about you everyday and how I never told you how much I truly love you, god please wake up," She kissed the small hand and rubbed it comfortingly. Magnus succumbed to the fatigue from the fire and rested her head on the bed, closing her eyes, she kept hold of the girl's hand as she fell into a deep sleep.

**Ah whats going to happen when she wakes up? Why will she wake up? I guess we'll see... (evil grin)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! Another chapter! This one is longer :) enjoy please review, good or bad I love both!**

Vibrations under Magnus' chest abruptly woke her from her sleep. Ashley was coughing and tugging at the oxygen mask attempting to remove it. Her eyes were wide with fright and Magnus could see the girl was in shock. Quickly she pulled the mask from the girl's face and soothingly caressed her hair. "Shh, you're alright, can you tell me your name?" Magnus held her breath. This would be one piece of the puzzle.

"Where am I?" The girl asked in a small scared voice. She looked around the room. There were machines everywhere and there was a strange lady holding her hand.

"You're in a place called the Sanctuary, it's kind of like a hospital," Magnus explained, her voice growing softer as she watched the girl begin to settle.

"Who are you?" she asked still scared, but she didn't let go of the stranger's hand.

"My name is Helen, do you remember what happened?" She was searching the girl's face for any kind of recognition but all she saw was fear.

"There was fire, and lots of smoke, and then... and then..." she struggled to remember what had happened. She had run to her bedroom trying to escape the heat. She remembered choking on the smoke, and then she remembered a crash and landing on something soft. "There was a loud crash, like glass breaking and I fell but landed on something... squishy," She finished with a thoughtful look.

Magnus couldn't help but laugh at this description. She seemed to be calming down, which was a good sign of her recovery. "Yes, that was me, I had to jump through a window to get us out of the fire, now can you tell me your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry if I hurt you... my name is Ashley, just Ashley they never knew my last name." Ashley was smart for her age, and understood fairly well why she had been at the orphanage. Magnus attempted to release her hand in order to brush the hair from Ashley's face, but the blonde strengthened her small grip. "Don't leave,"

"I'm not going to leave you Ashley, its nice to meet you," Magnus tried her hardest to keep the tears from effecting her voice, but the fact that her daughter, who she had watched die months earlier, was sitting in front of her asking her not to leave was almost to much to bear. _God,__I'll__never__leave__you__again._"Here, let me check your charts really fast and we'll see if we can get you to a more comfortable room and something to eat, is that alright?"

"You promise you'll come come back?" Ashley still hadn't loosened her grip on Magnus' hand.

"I'll be back before you know it," Magnus smiled as she felt Ashley release her.

"Can I ask you a question first?" Ashley looked up expectantly.

"Anything,"

"Why do you talk funny?" Ashley was chewing on her lip in concentration, puzzled at this predicament. Magnus simply laughed, and replied simply.

"How about I explain that over some food," with that she left quickly to get Ashley's chart. Noticing that everything checked out, she returned and removed Ashley's IV. She was startled, however, when the IV was discarded, Ashley threw her arms around Magnus' neck and clung to her, burying her face in the nook of the brunette's shoulder.

"Oh goodness, you're strong," Magnus mumbled. She wrapped her arms around the small body and lifted her from the table. "Would you like some clean clothes?" she asked noticing the smoky smell of the blonde's clothes. She could feel the small nod against her neck and figured that she would be carrying Ashley to her closet where she had some children's clothes she kept just in case. "Alright then lets go get you dressed." With that Magnus carried her from the observation lab and back to her room.

Shockingly, in the short time it took to get to her bedroom, Ashley had fallen asleep in Magnus' arms, and Magnus carefully laid her on the bed trying her best not to disturb her. She couldn't help but stare in amazement at the small girl. She couldn't believe that her daughter was asleep in her bed like she used to so many years ago. Quietly she went to the closet and pulled out a cardboard box from the floor. Rifling through it she found the pictures she was looking for. There was Ashley clinging to her back as they walked through a park. Her first birthday. Even the first time she fired a gun. With tears in her eyes, Magnus took the picture of Ashley on her back and placed it back on her bedside table where it used to sit.

She sat at the mouth of her closet and leaned her back against the door. For the second time that day she began to cry, but these tears were different. They were sad but they were also full of relief and new hope. She sat their with her knees to her chest, crying into her hand for what seemed to be hours until she felt small hands on her shoulders.

"Why are you crying?" The small voice asked. The hands moved to Magnus' face as she looked up, and began wiping away the tears. Magnus took the hands in her own and kissed each palm.

"I'm just really happy you are alright," She smiled. "How about you change and then we go get you food?" Magnus replied. "Here these should fit you, the shirt might be a little big but I promise we'll get you some new clothes tomorrow." Magnus handed her an old pair of Ashley's, well the other Ashley's, jeans and a worn tshirt.

"That's ok I like big shirts," Ashley looked around deciding where she should put on the clothes. Noticing her hesitation Magnus quickly took her hand.

"The bathroom is through there," she pointed to a wooden door on the opposite wall and watched as Ashley reached up to grab the handle and then slipped inside. A few moments later, she returned clad in her new outfit, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Its comfy," she said in way of explanation. All concerns about how she had gotten to this strange place had disappeared. The strange lady was nice even if she talked funny and the building was big, and then there was food. She liked food. "Can we go get food now, I'm really hungry," Magnus once again couldn't help but laugh at the girl's bluntness. Any doubt in her mind that this was her daughter was fading fast.

"Of course, I think you need to meet some people as well,"

**How will lunch go? What happens when Ashley gets a tour of the Sanctuary? Magnus is going to ask her something very important, what will the smart little girl's response be? I love you all! REVIEW! :D ttfn**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, sorry for the delay, Halloween is my busiest time of year lol but here is the next chapter! A little longer this time, I hope you enjoy**

**I don't own anything blah blah**

Ashley sat on the kitchen counter, watching Magnus stir the pot of chicken noodle soup. She had asked question after question about how to make the soup and why certain ingredients were added. Magnus answered each question patiently and accurately smiling each time as the girl chewed on her bottom lip, pondering the answers she received.

Magnus enjoyed cooking, she always had, but after Ashley had died she kept herself as busy with the Sanctuary as possible with no time for cooking. She heard the door to the kitchen open but thought nothing of it, not even looking up to acknowledge her manservant. That is until a scream reverberated through the room and she felt small arms grasp around her legs. Ashley had slid off the counter and cowered behind Magnus, holding on to her dearly. Shocked, Magnus dropped the ladle into the soup bowl, which splattered hot liquid across her arms. She looked up to see the Big guy standing dumbfounded in the doorway. She then realized her mistake. Ashley had never seen an abnormal and to her, the manservant looked like a monster.

Blinking away the pain from the soup, Magnus gently caressed the blonde head. She squatted down in order to be eye level with her daughter. "Shhh, It's alright, he's perfectly safe,"

Ashley continued to cry, shifting her face into the brunette's shoulder, clinging to her desperately. All Magnus could do was run soothing circles along her back. "Ashley, its alright, he won't hurt you, he's a friend, come here, look," Magnus gently pried the small arms from around her neck and turned Ashley slightly so that she could see the manservant. She kept her arms around her daughter's waist, holding her close to reinforce that she was safe. The Big guy grunted in a friendly manner trying to warm up to the small human.

"But... he looks like a monster," Ashley whimpered.

"Think of him more as a giant teddy bear," Magnus said comfortingly. She put slight pressure on the blonde's back, pushing her towards her manservant. Ashley took a few hesitant steps and touched his leg before jumping back. She giggled. Again she poked his leg before jumping back.

"He's fuzzy," she laughed as she once again petted his leg. Suddenly she ran forward and wrapped herself around his calf holding on laughing. The Big guy grunted in confusion, before spinning around making Ashley burst into a fit of giggles.

"Alright come here you," He grunted, lifting her from his leg and swinging her around before setting her back on the counter. She was still laughing as he ruffled her hair before exiting the kitchen, grabbing the tray that he had required.

Magnus had remained squatting the entire time, watching the interaction. She found herself smiling, remembering the first time the Big guy had actually done that to Ashley. The small girl began crawling on her hands and knees across the counter to wear Magnus was. "He's not scary," she smiled proudly.

"Not at all," Magnus replied, standing so she could finish the soup. "Are you ready for lunch?"

Ashley nodded vigorously as Magnus handed her a bowl. She ate her lunch in silence, a look of concentration crossing her face. She began chewing on her bottom lip, something was obviously bothering her. She may have only been six or seven but she was smart.

"When do I get to go home?" she whispered after a few more minutes of contemplation. She looked up at Magnus with big honest eyes. Magnus' heart clinched a little at this statement. She had just assumed that Ashley would want to stay she didn't even consider the fact that she grew up in the orphanage and would want to go back.

"The orphanage is no longer there, but if you would like we can arrange for you to stay somewhere with the other children, as long as it is suitable." Magnus' tone was stoic and flat, betraying her disappointment. "Or..." she paused wondering if she should continue her thought.

"I don't know many of the other kids, and I don't have any family or a house to go to... I don't know what to do..." Ashley was beginning to tear up again and Magnus decided it was best to finish what she was saying.

"You can stay here, at the Sanctuary if you wish, we'll take care of you and we have plenty of room, not to mention more excitement than you can imagine." Magnus smiled hoping that Ashley would be convinced. Her heart was hammering. She couldn't lose Ashley, not again. It would be too painful. She was so close to having her daughter back even if it wasn't the same. She couldn't look at Ashley's face at the moment, she was too nervous, waiting for the response.

"Are there toys?" Ashley responded suddenly looking up as if it were the most important question in the world. Magnus was unable to hold back the laughter that erupted from her chest.

"I think we can manage toys," she replied, still laughing at the young girl's serious expression. Ashley had gone back to thinking.

"Can I think about it for awhile?" Ashley asked sheepishly. She liked the Sanctuary, and she didn't want the strange lady to kick her out, but it was still scary.

"Of course," Magnus managed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. "Have you had enough to eat?" Ashley nodded her head in response and smiled as Magnus reached to lift her from the counter. "Alright, lets see, I'm sure Henry is wondering how you are doing, would you like to go see him? I can imagine he has games that you can play, does that sound fun?"

"Is he the fuzzy guy?" Ashley asked innocently. Magnus couldn't help but laugh again.

"Only sometimes, but no he's my computer specialist, I think you'll like him," Magnus grabbed her hand and led her towards the elevator so they could descend to Henry's lab. Ashley couldn't help but stare at everything they waked by. It was all so big and old looking, but when they got to Henry's room, everything was shiny and there were lots of beeping machines. He acted kind of nervous like he had had to much sugar and he stumbled over most of his words.

"Well hey there, I see you are feeling better," He smiled, tapping his leg on the bottom of his chair.

"Yeah, the lady with the funny voice gave me soup," Ashley smiled as she stood close to Magnus. It was Henry's turn to laugh.

"Funny voice, huh? That's a new one, well kiddo I've got a dancing game somewhere around here you wanna play?" Henry turned around looking for the dance mat that he and the Big guy kept for when Magnus went out of town. It was silly but watching a big furry dude dance was more amusing than filing reports. Magnus arched an eyebrow at him when the pop music filtered through speakers of the TV as he turned on the game. He simply shrugged in innocence and instructed Ashley on how to work the controls. Once he saw that she was perfectly occupied he turned back to Magnus who motioned him over to the doorway.

"How is she?" Henry asked, taking a glance back at the now dancing black.

"Physically she's fine, psychologically, I'm not sure," Magnus sighed. "I'll tell you one thing though, its Ashley, Henry, my Ashley, I don't know how but it's her," Henry could see the weariness in Magnus' eyes.

"And how are you handling this?" He asked concerned for his boss, and friend.

"I honestly don't know, God, Henry I miss her so much, and I can't imagine losing her again, but that little girl in there is my daughter and lord knows I'll never leave her again." Magnus grinned as she watched Ashley jump around on the dance mat. The small pain that knotted in her chest whenever she thought too much about her daughter began to form. "But I guess its a mystery that will need solving eventually but let's say we put that off until tomorrow,"

"Yeah boss sure thing, well I've got things under control here how about you go lie down, you took some pretty heavy hits today, and you look like crap," Henry bit his tongue the minute the words left his mouth and he saw the glare Magnus shot him "I mean that in the nicest most concerned way,"

"Sure you do, but I'd rather stay here and watch if that's alright, we won't be distracting will we?" she began to ease back into the room.

"Nah, I'm just running some basic scans, nothing important," Henry motioned towards the seat nearest Ashley before sitting back at his computer desk to finish his scans. Magnus sat watching the blonde girl until Ashley ran over and grabbed her hand pulling her up.

"Come play with me! It's really fun, and two people can play at once!" Ashley pulled at Magnus until she stood with her and hesitantly stood on the plastic mat. She heard Henry mutter from behind her.

"Oh now this is something I've got to see," Magnus turned and shot him a look which quickly made him duck behind his computer screens.

"Alright just a few songs, what am I supposed to do?" Magnus asked uncertainly looking skeptically at the six year old. As Ashley explained the game in a high pitch chatter Magnus couldn't help but become completely enveloped in the sight before her. She still couldn't believe her daughter was standing before her, very much alive.

They played the game for the rest of the afternoon, until Ashley had complained of being tired. Magnus picked her up and carried her towards Ashley's old room. She took a deep breath before entering, the room was right next to hers but she walked by it everyday without entering. "Alright, listen if you need anything my room is just next door, and the bathroom is through there," she gestured to a door on the left. "Will this be ok?"

Ashley nodded and hesitantly sat down on the bed. Magnus followed her into the room and pulled the covers back to tuck her in. Ashley snuggled down into the pillow and closed her eyes. She could feel herself falling asleep.

"Thank you," she whispered sleepily.

"You're welcome darling," Magnus whispered back kissing her lightly on the forehead. When she reached the door she turned back to watch her daughter sleep and then closed the door before a going to her own room. A smile ghosted her face as she got ready for bed and fell asleep completely at peace.

**Ok so please review and tell me what you think. Reviews are inspiration. I realize this was a bit choppy but I'm really excited for the next bit :)**

**Love you all**


	5. Chapter 5

_The fire was everywhere, her whole room was ablaze. She coughed from the smoke and curled up into the corner hoping that someone would save her. Suddenly she was spinning through a black abyss, and a monster was chasing her. Her body felt as if it was burning. She couldn't see. She was screaming. A red washed over her eyes. "Stop it! Stop!" she screamed. _

Magnus awoke to screaming from the adjacent room and jumped from her bed, stumbling over the sheets. Her mind was reeling. She ran into the hall and opened Ashley's door, rushing to her side. The girl was thrashing about with tears streaming down her face and screams erupting from her lungs.

"Ashley, wake up, its just a dream," Magnus gently grabbed her shoulders to hold her still.

"Stop it! Stop!" Ashley yelled through her sleep. Magnus quickly scooped the small girl into her arms and held her close, rocking her, stroking her hair until her screams subsided.

"Wake up, sweetheart its only a dream," She cooed. She could feel Ashley relax in her embrace and she wondered if she had woken up at all.

"Where am I?" the silent whisper was broken as Ashley clung to Magnus' night shirt.

"You are at the Sanctuary, safe, do you remember me?" Magnus asked, pulling the blonde away far enough so she could examine her face.

"I remember," Ashley whispered. "It hurts," she said continuing to cry softly.

"What hurts?" Magnus asked going into doctor mode.

"My blood, it burns everywhere, and when I sleep I see red, and all I can remember is the fire and then a monster," there was genuine pain in Ashley's voice as she recollected her dream. Magnus could only continue to stroke the soft blonde hair. She realized that however miraculous Ashley's return was that it wouldn't be without complications. Apparently this would be one of them.

"Does it go away once you wake up?" Magnus continued to inquire.

"Yes,"

"So you feel alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm all better, but I'm still scared," Ashley whimpered. She had yet to let go of Magnus' shirt and she buried her face in the older woman's shoulder.

"That's alright, how be we get you some medicine that will take away your dreams for tonight and then see if you can get back to sleep," Magnus stood, lifting the girl with her. They kept a tonic in the lab which was derived from an abnormal's pheromones. The tonic would send the patient in to a deep sleep but turn down just enough of their brain activity that their dreaming would cease. She measured out a teaspoon and spoon fed it to the already drowsy six year old. The medicine took affect quickly and Magnus had to carry the now sleeping girl back to her room. For the second time that night, she tucked her daughter in and turned back to her room. She slipped under her own sheets and lie awake but with her eyes closed. She was worried about the troubles to come. Ashley couldn't take the tonic every night it would be dangerous for someone her size. As Magnus began to doze with troubled thoughts, she felt the bed dip and small arms wrap around her, and soft hair tuck beneath her chin. Her eyes opened slowly revealing Ashley lying next to her, holding her close.

"I don't want to be alone," Ashley mumbled, falling back to sleep.

"You'll never be alone, darling, never again," Magnus whispered, kissing the top of her head before putting her own arm around her daughter and running soothing circles along her side. Magnus couldn't help but think back to the many years ago where her Ashley would sneak into her room at night and curl up just like the present. She had missed her daughter so very much and no matter how well she had hidden it, it took a little part of her everyday in order to survive.

"_Mom," Ashley connected eyes with her mother. She knew she was about to die but she knew it would save her mother's life. Magnus looked up at her, her eyes brimming with tears. Suddenly Ashley disappeared in a red flash, disintegrating in the shield. Magnus crumpled on the ground, her tears flooding over. _


End file.
